The Bonds That Binds Us
by Enigma Echidna
Summary: Ever since they first meet, Sonic and Amy had always had some kind of connection. Slowly that connection is being severed by someone, without any signs that it can repaired. Will Sonic be able to save what he ruined or will fate be cruel?
1. Depression

Disclaimer: All of the Sonicverse characters and places inserted into this story are owned by SEGA, and used without permission. All other characters and places mentioned belong to me.

Chapter 1: Depression

Spring had come early to Station Square this year. Compared to the harsh and cold winter that they had, this was truly a warm and welcoming change from the constant strong chilly winds and the freezing rain that came after every snow storm. Change was always both a good thing and a bad thing for people. But somehow that is what makes change so much fun. You just never know what to expect from change. From bad times there always came a positive change and from the good times there was always the chance of it becoming bad. Nothing in life or in time ever lasted for long on good terms. There many examples in history which proves that to be true. For the people of Station Square, it seemed that nothing but a long life of prosperity and happiness was to come. It seemed that everyone was being blessed with good tidings this year, everyone except for Amy.

As she wandered throughout the forest she began to reflect about the previous season and how at one point everything seemed promising. She had to leave the city, even if it was for a few hours. She had never felt so hurt or depressed as she was right now. It was so out of character for the young female hedgehog to be sad this long. Then again she had done a very good job of hiding her recent depression from everyone, that the only way anyone would have known is if they had been her. But who could she trust these days?

Amy paused for a moment as she noticed a diverse group of forest animals resting and drinking fresh cool water by a small pond out in the distance, some even playing with one another. The diversity of animals reminded her of her friends. All special and unique as the back drop of the setting sun made her realize that it was getting late. But starring at those animals all together made her soon realize that this was like her friendships was never going to last. She thought she had friends. She never doubted it until recently.

It began during the winter season. She could never forget how horrible that winter was even if she tried her damn hardest to. It was the day before Christmas and everyone had gathered inside Amy's warm and cozy home for her annual Christmas party. There were new faces this year along with the old ones. It just felt so welcoming and warm that no one wanted to leave. But that was always the case whenever anyone was in Amy's home. That is just how Amy was. She had the ability to make the gloomiest of places feel warm and welcoming.

It was also on that very day she had learned that Sonic the Hedgehog, the only other male that she had loved with all her heart and soul was seeing someone very special for quite sometime. He didn't even have the galls of letting her know about it. From what she had learned that devastating night was that he was in love with another female hedgehog that he himself had saved when Eggman had shamelessly attack the local downtown hospital.

Amy was most certainly heartbroken as well as severely devastated. It wasn't the fact that Sonic had fallen with someone other then her, it was more of a mind and emotional numbing shock then anyone could imagine. It was actually because Sonic himself had the nerve to tell her while they stood underneath the mistletoe at her Christmas party. Mistletoe, an infamous symbol of joy and love during this holiday season and Sonic was so brazen enough to destroy all meaning. She just assumed that from all the time that Sonic was spending with her, that he was finally ready to be with her and from all the times he tried to tell her something when they were alone and private she had assumed that he was trying to tell he loved her, but that was not the case. He was just trying to let her know that even though he cared for her, he just wanted to remain as friends and nothing more. She could remember how she wanted to run away from the party and from that spot, but she knew she could not even find the motivation to do so. She had guests and if she became selfish by copping with her own feelings then what kind of hostess would that make her. She did not want to bum everyone out, especially on the night before Christmas. But what even hurt more was that everyone knew long before she did.

Everyone else knew about her long before Sonic has mentioned it to her, but they had all made a vow to Sonic not to mention it to Amy until he was ready to tell her himself. That's how Sonic wanted it. He had thought that it would be best if Amy had heard it from him, considering the history they had. All through the party and up until now Amy kept an illusionary facade of how happy she was for Sonic. That she could not think of anyone better for him. But of course that was a total lie. She had loved him long before the entire world saw him as hero, but as a bothersome vigilante who took the law into his own hands. How she loved to see him happy even if it meant that she had no right to be in that equation. This feeling of pain and anguish was eating her up inside. She wanted to tell someone, but what good would that do for her. It would just make her out as a jealous and selfish bitch and a horrible person. She didn't want that reputation, especially one that would make her out as a hypocrite. They all knew about Sonic's girlfriend and still let her make a complete fool of herself by allowing her to continue wearing her feelings on her sleeve till that day at the party.

As of now she could truly understand that she was as Sonic had called her a "nuisance" and a "pain". She caused so many problems for him by being kidnapped and being dead weight on missions. How could she compare to anyone like Aeris. She was a doctor, she could help heal the sick and make their pain go away. She was useful on missions and did what Sonic said without any questions. She was indeed beautiful and dependable, everything Amy was not. She could even impress Sonic with her impressive cooking and gardening skills. A little miss perfect.

There were many things she wanted to say to Sonic about the entire situation, but she knew she could not bring herself to do so. She was afraid of Sonic yelling at her, saying that she was nothing more than jealous fan girl and that she was nothing more than a stalker who deserved whatever bad that was coming to her. Amy never in her entire life saw her self as a fan girl, but it was just one of those old childhood habits that just happened to hard to break. It was true she was jealous, but who wouldn't be if the one guy you have loved and longed for broke your heart.  
Amy coughed a bit as small traces of blood splashed against her gloves. She stared at her gloved hand and assumed that it was nothing more than a symptom of the flu that was supposedly going around the entire city. Never in a million years did she assume that it would or could be something else, especially after she had finally caved into Sonic's constant pressuring for her to get a flu shot.

Sonic had made all of his friends get vaccinated on the first day of the new year. It had surprisingly taken him longer to persuade Amy to get one. He knew she was deathly terrified of needles, so of course it took him longer to get her vaccinated against this so called flu. By that time it was just yesterday that she had finally submitted to Sonic's constant pestering and allowed herself to get vaccinated. She remembered how happy Sonic was that she finally agreed. He cared about his friends and would do anything to see them well. Even though it was not her job, Sonic had thought it would be best if Aeris had preformed the injection, instead of some unfamiliar nurse at the hospital. Plus it would also give them time to get to know each other. She remembered how Sonic beamed at the thought of his two best girls (his girlfriend, and his best friend who was a girl), getting along.

All Amy could remember from that day in that private hospital room was an uncomfortable and unwanted feeling being there. It was Aeris' office, but even though it was your typical warm and welcoming doctor's office it just felt terribly off to her. The long silence was unbearable, almost creepy, that when Amy tried to start a conversation with Aeris, she had slammed the needle forcibly into her arm leaving a huge noticeable bruise on her left arm from where she stuck the needle. She wanted to scream that day, but stifled herself only allowing a few tears to fall. Amy did not want to give Aeris the pleasure of hearing her scream, and if she did she probably make something up if Sonic, who was standing right outside, came in. Amy was certain that if she herself had told Sonic then he would have yelled at her. Calling her crazy and wanting her out of his life and from the ways things were she would not be at all surprised.

Sonic was becoming more protective of his new girlfriend and less protective of Amy. He had even broken many promises to Amy in the past month that she could not bring herself to talk to him about it, many of which resulted in Amy walking home late at night as she felt abandoned and scared for her life. There was even one night when she had walked home from her job at the market when she was attacked and mugged. Lucky for her, her attacker didn't go any further. That was something she could never imagine her handling well, even under the current circumstances that she was in. She never told Sonic or anyone about it. Amy just believed that they wouldn't care or think of it as a big deal.

Amy shivered as a cold breeze had engulfed her as she was making her way back home. At least there she would be safe and could find some kind of peace of mind. She just wish she didn't feel so alone or even forgotten by her friends. At least at home she could rest because right now she felt as if she was coming down with a terrible cold.


	2. Hope

Disclaimer: All of the Sonicverse characters and places inserted into this story are owned by SEGA, and used without permission. All other characters and places mentioned belong to me.

Chapter 2: Hope

It was almost noon when Amy finally found the energy to get out of bed. Half the day was almost gone and her sudden lack of energy had been affecting her on and off for the past three weeks. As she slowly sat up on her bed, she couldn't help but focus on the food wrapper from where she worked laying in a crumpled mess on the floor. It was nothing flashy for a generic store brand item and it tasted just as good as the real item that it was supposed to be a knock off of just less sweet which is how Amy preferred things. Though Amy was a sweet and kind person didn't mean that every confection she ate had to be sweet as well. Normally she couldn't careless about writing on any packaging, but the writing in bold letters drew her attention. It was one of those company promises about their 100 guarantee promise to the customer about their purchase. The entire thought of a promise like that made Amy laugh. In her mind right now, she couldn't help but assume that friendship was supposed to be a promise that friends would be there for each other no matter what happens. Friends would never keep any secrets and no matter what happens between them, there should always be there for support for one another, but that didn't happen for this little pink hedgehog. At least she got some kind of support from her job, but it still would have been better if her friends were the ones helping her out. She could have used their help, but any help would have been greatly welcomed.

This lack of energy was affecting all parts of her life as well as her job quite terribly that her boss had insisted that it would be for the best if she take some time off from work. Even though Amy had protested against this many times, her boss had surprised her with adding that she would still be paid during her period of rest. For someone like Amy or probably anyone else something like this seemed unheard. Amy had never known anyone as kind as her boss to allow someone like her to take time off to recuperate and still get paid. Things like this would normally happen if someone was on maternity leave, but that wasn't Amy situation unless something miraculous happened to make her pregnant. Most bosses would just have fired someone in Amy's condition, but considering the laws these days it was probably cheaper to pay for Amy's leave then to be sued for discrimination.

It was not uncommon for Amy to sleep in late on certain days. Normally she would get up early and head up to the roof to watch the sunrise while she drank a nice warm cup of chamomile tea. It had to be the most favorite time of the day for her other than watching the sunset during the summer season at the beach or on that same rooftop. It was so peaceful at that time of the day that she could think clearly about anything that was bothering her, including things that concerned her relationship with Sonic. But for the last three weeks Amy had been missing the sunrise, and as of late she had been feeling quite tired and run down. Everyone said that it was probably the flu, but some of the symptoms did not feel like normal flu like symptoms. For starters she coughed up blood and had lost a severe amount of weight, and at times she had difficulty breathing or speaking. Dizziness, unconsciousness, burning of the mouth, cramps, nausea, as well as vomiting were other symptoms that she had dealt with a week after she had received her vaccination from Aeris. Not once did Amy let anyone about these other symptoms. She was not the type to put herself before others, it in fact the other way around. She was the type of person to bend over backwards to see her friends happy no matter what, even if it met sacrificing so much for them. Even though Amy did an okay job at first of hiding her symptoms in the end it proved to be no use when Sonic, on his bi-daily visits to check up on her did he discover about these other symptoms. Amy felt a bit embarrassed from the way he treated her, as if she was a little kid and it was even more awkward when Sonic had brought her to Aeris to check her over. Amy would rather have had another doctor examine her other than Aeris. She really didn't like how Aeris poked and prodded at her with her medical instruments. It almost felt as if she was trying to hurt Amy with them as she was examining her. Amy didn't even like the thought of getting another injection from Aeris after what had happened the last time, but Aeris had insisted to her and to Sonic that she needed it if she was to get better again.

After the examination, Aeris had told everyone including Sonic that what Amy was experiencing was a normal symptom of the flu strain that had been going around the city, and for some reason they all had bought her explanation. Then again anyone would believe Aeris because she was a doctor after all and everyone trusted people in her profession. Amy knew that there was something wrong with her, and she kept on protesting her case to her friends, but they all just ignored her for some reason. Sonic on the other hand was actually concerned for her well being. There was no way to explain why he was concerned about her. Maybe it was because of their long history of knowing each other, but for Amy it just did not make any sense. He shouldn't be concerned about her like this, but it was sort of a nice change then him ignoring or running away from her like he had done in the previous years. Somehow with all the attention that she was getting it just made her feel guilty. Then again she always had a tendency of putting everyone else's needs before her own. She felt like she was stealing Sonic away from Aeris, even though she was most likely more deserving of him than she was. Aeris seemed much more suited for Sonic then she had assumed she would have been. Amy knew that she was not a thief nor did she even plan on hurting anyone by doing something as hurtful as stealing someone else's guy. That was just not like her. She would rather just have Sonic leave her alone for the moment, even if that moment was just for a few days to be with his girlfriend.

Sonic had a girlfriend now, and for that reason it just didn't seem right for him to show this much attention towards her even if she was sick. Amy had to learn to accept the fact that Sonic was with someone now and even though she felt that he had been sending so many mixed signals, it just drove her emotionally crazy. She had assumed that after Sonic had finally admitted that he was seeing someone that he would slowly back off from all the time they had been spending together, but he did not do that and it felt sort of uncomfortable for Amy almost as if she was starting to become the thorn in Sonic and Aeris' relationship. It was just not right for Sonic to be paying so much attention to her even if she was ill. A major part of her just wanted him to just go away and never come back, and who would blame that part of her for even thinking about that. Amy had been bottling up her emotions ever since that day. After what he had done at that Christmas party and hiding it from her for that amount of time made Amy slowly hate the blue wonder. She was trying her best to make it seem that she was not hurt by what Sonic did to her that night. He had never given her a chance and all that time that he appeared to be allowing her to get close to him was just a lie. In some ways, Amy felt that she was being used.

Amy slowly got up from her bed as she made her way into the kitchen as slowly as possible. Even a task such as this was enough to tucker her out, but she didn't let anyone know it. Not even Sonic knew about her dwindling amount of energy. She felt that he should never know the extent of how her suffering. He just didn't deserve or even had the right to know, but she definitely knew that bottling up her emotions was not a smart thing to do even for this amount of time. She was tired of constantly crying when Sonic had hurt her so many times in the past and she did not want the others to feel sorry for her now or ever again. Besides where were they that night when Sonic had finally confronted her about his girlfriend. They never once showed her any sympathy or concern. When she needed a friend the most, they were just not there for the support she desperately needed to

As Amy finally made her way into the kitchen all that was on her mind right now was making a nice cup of tea. She loved a nice cup of chamomile whenever she felt down or ill. There was something about it that just perked her up again. The taste and aroma of the tea brought back numerous memories of when she was a little girl some of which were the few memories she could remember of her own mother. Even though they were few, they were her fondest of memories before she got shipped to the local orphanage and before she had met Sonic. Maybe it would have been better if she never had met him. If she only knew what these countless of years of knowing him would do to her then she would never be in this mess. She let out a heavy sigh as she placed one of her white mugs into the microwave. Right now she wasn't in the mood to sit and wait for the kettle to boil. She desperately needed that cup of tea and the fastest way she or anyone could think of was to place a mug full of water into the microwave, but once she placed the mug into the microwave and set the timer it felt longer then what would be expected for boiling water in a kettle. Her thoughts were broken when her microwave chimed indicating that the water was ready. She opened the microwave door and blew on the mug a bit before dunking the tea bag inside. Normally people would a tea bag a few times before taking it out, but Amy preferred to leave the tea bag in for the entire duration that she savored her tea. As she took that first sip of tea, she couldn't help but feel a bit dizzy that she dropped her cup of tea as started to pant heavily. The sound of the cup crashing and breaking onto the floor was amplified ten fold sending a massive tension headache all through her head. She never in all her days felt something as bad as this. Sure she had migraines, but this was nothing like it. The pain was so great that she actually felt like she wanted to cry about for her mother, a mother who had been dead for years. The pain intensified even more as Amy grabbed her head and collapsed to the ground blacking out.

By the time she had awakened again the sky was already dark and the moon had been out for hours. For about ten minutes she didn't open her eyes until she could gather her bearings. All she remembered was that she was trying to make some tea to help her feel better. She slowly opened her eyes and noticed that she was no longer on the floor but in her own bed. Amy noticed her arms were wrapped in some kind of cloth bandage, most likely because she had fallen on the pieces from the mug. She then sat up slowly in her bed for a second time, but something was different this time. In the far corner of her bedroom there was a chair that normally belonged in her kitchen, but it was brought into the room by someone other than her and right now she wished that damn blue hedgehog wasn't the one asleep in the chair. She would have rather have had him miles away and not watching over her like this. She was doing fine without him, but she still felt so weak. Even through she could have throw something at him with direct accuracy, she just didn't have the energy to throw anything at him that she eventually eased herself back under the bed sheets thinking that something like this would be best left for the morning instead.


	3. Awakening

Disclaimer: All of the Sonicverse characters and places inserted into this story are owned by SEGA, and used without permission. All other characters and places mentioned belong to me. Ideas used in this story are not canon.

Chapter 3: Awakening

Time seemed to slip away more slowly than before for Amy as she lay wide awake in her warm and comfortable bed. Falling asleep seemed entirely impossible for her when it seemed to come so naturally for her overbearing and now annoying blue companion slumbering peacefully in the corner of the room. She never had a problem falling asleep as a child and even if she did have problem as a child, her mother would always be there for her with a warm glass of milk. Amy truly missed those moments she had with her. Though her family was long gone from this world, she knew that they were always watching over her, nurturing her and in some ways protecting her from certain dangers.

If only she could get some sleep. Amy was not a child anymore. The old remedies that had once worked on her as a child had no effect on her as an adult. She did not know if it was because of her cold or the pent up amount of stress that had been screwing with her that had caused her new sleeping patterns. All that she could think about right now was how dark her room had gotten and the loud, almost annoying, snores of Sonic the Hedgehog. The lucky bastard he was. Hardly getting injured and never getting a cold, it just seemed unfair especially now that he could find comfort in sleeping.

As a child bedtime was always the best time of the day for Amy. Back then she felt that dreams were a glimpse into one's own future. It was something that her mother had told her as a child a very long time ago. She remembered how her mother would give her a dreamy look, a loving smile and sigh before telling her that dreams were the reality one always desired. For most of her life she believed what her mother had told her as child and each night since she had met Sonic, Amy had dreamed about him. But when she woke up and returned to reality, she had to deal with all it harsh truths and pains of living in that world. There was a moment, when she believed that dreams did come true. That dream was shattered last year, and now it no longer seemed like that. Amy Rose was slowly losing faith in the two people she truly ever loved with all her heart and soul, her and Sonic. Both of them had broken her heart and destroyed all the innocence she had left. All Amy could do now was embrace and accept the cold harsh reality that awaited her.

Sonic was in love with someone else and she had to accept that no matter how much she hated it. She knew in the deepest part of her heart that she may never get over the pain but she still had to try or else she would never be able to move on with her life. Amy knew that getting over Sonic would be tough and most likely the hardest thing she would ever have to do in her life. A part of her felt as if her mother had lied to her, while her entire heart felt completely lied to by Sonic. She should have known better then to let her feelings for him cloud her judgment. Sonic probably never had any attraction to her to begin with, even as a friend. Maybe the rumors were true, and maybe she was so naïve to believe them. She had always assumed that the reason Sonic had always saved her was because he had actually loved her. Never could she ever expect that it was in fact that she made him look good in front of the world population. Amy shook her head trying to get those silly thoughts out of her head. Sonic was not the type to play on one's emotions. He was not that cold and calculating or even vindictive. That was not the Sonic the Hedgehog she knew or at least she thought she knew.

Sonic was always there for her growing up. They were always there for each other, and for Amy those were her fondest memories of him. There were indeed many times where he had let her down, but he would always make it up to her some how by making her feel special. Those days were now long gone now. She missed the lazy days that she and Sonic had spent together, but now most of his time was spent with Aeris and the others. She somehow felt lost within the mix and sometimes felt a bit forgotten. It was not until she became sick that Sonic started spending time with her again. She hated the fact that something like a cold had to bring him back to her when he could have done it without her cold as an excuse.

Amy let out a small depressed sigh as she noticed the sun now starting to rise outside. In a few hours Sonic would wake up and be gone leaving her all alone again. Sure Sonic would visit her twice everyday, but he would only stay no longer than twenty minutes each time he visited her. This was probably the longest time Sonic had spent with her alone since the day before the Christmas party. Remembering that day at the party had only brought bitter tears to her eyes. Sonic had hurt her terribly that night without even thinking how it might have hurt her. There was probably not even a word or a group of words that could explain how betrayed she felt.

It was two months ago when Sonic had spent an endless amount of time with her. Never in all the time that they knew each other did he spend this much time. At times she felt lucky and spoiled by him, but it soon became awkward as if he was hiding something from her. She had really believed that Sonic was finally ready to admit that he loved her, just like she had always dreamed he did. But that dream was soon demolished at the Christmas party. She felt as if the one creature that she had loved as well as completely trusted with all her heart and soul had spent all this time lying to her as well as making fun of her. To this very day a small part of her felt he was still lying to her. A part of her even felt that he truly did not want to be here with her, that he was probably forced to be here by their friends to check-up on her. Some friends they were. They never even came to visit her. If they did stop by it was probably to get him for something heroic. It would be just better if he left and never came back. It would be for the best.

How she wanted to hit him with one of her pillows right now, or even try to smoother him to make him pay for the pain he had caused her, but that was not in her nature. She was always the kind and sweet person that she always had been, ever since she was a little girl. She always wondered what it felt like to be bad, but she never dared venture into that direction. Thought had always frightened her. Sometimes she wondered if she did become cold and heartless, if there was any way of going back.

Amy slowly got out of bed, making sure that she did not wake up the blue bomber. Never once in Amy's wildest dreams did she think that something as easy as getting out of bed would be so difficult. She felt as if she was a decrepit million year old woman from how she got out of bed. Walking around was a bit difficult for her. Each step she took turned out to be a painful shuffle. At times it felt like as if she was pulling an extreme amount of weight that was preventing her from getting to where she needed to go. While most of the time it felt as if she was walking on sharp pieces of broken glass and a series of sharp nails and needles. She never once told Sonic about this, nor did he know what she was feeling. Every time she attempted to go somewhere in her apartment, whether it was to the bathroom or to the kitchen, Sonic would either fetch the item or carrying her to where she needed to be.

It just did not feel as natural as she thought it might be. Amy had dreamed many times fro Sonic to sweep her off her feet and carry her away into the horizon. It was not as she had imagined it now. Her past experiences had slowly soured any hope that she had taken with Sonic's comfort and kindness. If she could close her eyes now, then Amy would be able to recollect on their past together. It was in the past when Sonic would get irritated doing things like this for her when they were kids. It was as if he had some place better to be back then, but now as they reached young adulthood he was willing to be here and with a smile no doubt. Sometimes it just amazed her at how much everyone had changed over the course of time. She never expected to be as close to Sonic as she was now. She had always assumed that by some cruel chance he would have done something so vicious to her and vile to her in order to get her to leave him alone.

Amy continued in her slow pace towards the kitchen. For the first time she could feel the pangs of hunger inside of her. She had not eaten a single morsel in quite a long time. It was not because did not want any food, it was more like her body was not hungry at all. Normally it would not be unheard of to go for a few days without food, but in Amy's case she had not eaten a thing in over a week and half. It was something she neglected to mention to Sonic for certain reasons, but when she finally reached the kitchen she discovered a brown paper bag sitting on the counter with her name on it written in red pen ink and in script. She smirked at the color of her name on the bag. It was as if someone had signed her name in blood, as if someone wanted her to die. She shook her head at the thought. Sonic had brought this for her since he was the only one who came to her place and knowing him he had probably bought it for her from the deli down the block. And besides Sonic was the one saving her from danger, not inflicting it on her. It was one of the reasons why she never lost faith or trust in him, but she could feel those things slowly slipping away from her as she opened the bag. It was obvious by now that whatever Sonic had brought for her was already cold, but that did not stop Amy from peaking inside the container. She let out a soft smile as she saw that Sonic had brought her a large container full of broccoli and cheese soup. It was one of her favorite soups, and since it was a high calorie soup it was just what her body needed to replenish itself. The odd thing was that she never told that this was her favorite soup, but Amy just shrugged it off like many things and placed the large container into the microwave that hanged from atop the stove. It was probably nothing more than a sheer coincidence that he bought it for her, but then again it was the only thing he ever bought her on his own accord.

The soup smelled simply divine as it slowly revolved inside the microwave. Amy kept on watching it as the scent filled the room. She hoped that neither the sound from the microwave or the smell would wake up the blue hero, but she was wrong when she felt her dainty waist enclosed into a very loving embrace as her back was pressed up against his young muscular chest. She froze their for a few seconds before turning around to see Sonic, half awake with a devilish smile forming at him muzzle.

"So you finally decided to wake up, eh?" Amy could feel his warm breath against her neck that it sent shivers throughout her body. She even wanted to release a soft sexual moan, but she ended up biting her lower lip instead. It just was not right. Sonic should not be doing things like this when he had a girlfriend, especially to her. Amy remained silent for a bit until the silence was broken by the microwave's ding.

Amy wanted to say something, but she just could not find the right words or even know where to begin. There was so much to tell him, but she could not tell him her feelings about him again. It was different this time. Never in her wildest dreams could she ever imagine that Sonic would love another female, but here in reality he did just that. She had always assumed that if Sonic could never love her back that it was because he was not able to fall in love with anyone out of fear of them getting hurt, she was proven wrong when Aeris came into their lives. Aeris the only person other than Eggman that she truly hated, and it was not just because she had Sonic it was something more. Amy closed her eyes and sighed while opening the microwave as Sonic held her tighter in his arms as he blew warm air onto her neck all the while waiting for response.

"Who does he think he is?" thought Amy as she took the hot container out of the microwave. As far as she could recall, this was definitely the first time ever that Sonic held her like this. He never did something like this when she assumed they were dating last year. From what she could remember from those fading days and up till now was that her blue hero was mentally always somewhere she could

Sonic certainly had some major galls as to pull a stunt like this off. What was he trying to prove anyway, that he still had the power to play with her heart? The bastard already had a girlfriend and yet he was flirting with her from what she could gather. She turned around and looked at him as her once vibrant and lively green eyes were growing dull and stale as if death was slowly sneaking its way into the pink hedgehog. For Sonic, it was as if he was looking into the eyes of a cadaver. Seeing the changes in her eyes spooked Sonic a bit that he let go of her rather roughly that she backed into the wooden counter causing the hot soup to splash against her chest as it left a bright red burn mark. The soup was extremely hot, and yet Amy did not scream like most people did or even do anything to clean the burn. Tears were the only thing that fell allowing Sonic to see she was in pain, that he held her close to him as he kissed her head. It seemed that the blue hedgehog had a way of causing her pain. It was something he hated doing to her, but there was just no way for him to know when he would do it. Not even Amy or her premonition could tell. There were times now where Amy believed that Sonic enjoyed seeing and causing her pain.

Sonic smiled warmly as he picked up Amy and carried her in his arms to the living. He was taken a back a bit when she did not wrap her arms around him like she normally had done in the past. She was always healthy and vibrant, but now it was as if she was an entirely different person. He had just assumed that she had finally gotten over her schoolgirl crush, but when he laid her on the sofa she showed no emotion for their friendship or kindness towards him. It was as if she was an entirely different person. Sonic knew very well that she loved him, yet he also did everything in his power to run away from her even if she was simply wishing him a simple "Good Morning". If only things were different, this whole situation would have never happened. She would have been well and not spiraling down into a secret deep and dark sadness that she was slowly blaming him for.

It seemed that everything was changing now that he had a girlfriend, but there were so many things he wished everyday would never change. Amy's friendship was one of his many wishes along with wishing for her to get well again. Still it just seemed so unnatural for Amy to be sick this long or even be sick in general.

Sonic sighed as he went to the bathroom. This was probably the only place in the entire apartment that had not been touched by time. It was always the same, and just by staring at it he wished that Amy remained unchanged by time, but nothing lasts forever. Sonic had to accept the fact that no matter how much he hated it Amy was growing up and out of his reach. It would only be a matter of time he would lose her completely, probably to another male hedgehog. This entire thought depressed Sonic as he search for Amy's first aid bag. The thought of losing a friend, even his childhood was devastating to think about. Sometimes he even wondered why he and Amy remained so close after all the times he had treated her badly. She must have definitely seen something in him that was now slowly fading away. Too bad he did not know what it was perhaps it would have made things a bit better for him.

It did not take long for Sonic to return back to Amy with her oversized orange paramedic style first aid kit. Many people would have thought of it as being a bit excessive as well as odd for some ordinary person to have something of this magnitude, but for Amy it was a practical thing for her to have considering how many times he and the others had been injured. There were even times in which Sonic was amazed by her bedside manner that he thought of her at times as his own personal doctor, but now it was his turn to take care of her. Whether it was because of their close friendship or the fact that he owed it to her, it never once crossed his mind that he could ever have consider her as the most important thing in his life. It just came naturally for Sonic to take care of her, and truth be told, Sonic had learned so much from Amy than from anybody else about healing. Amy on the other hand would have rather seen him covered in painful sores or in some kind of horrid pain before allowing him to touch her or take care of her.

Amy watched as Sonic opened the medical bag looking for the remainder of the burn ointment she had used on him long ago. It felt like another lifetime ago when she last used any of the contents inside of the bag, that Sonic had to double as well as tripled check to make sure that nothing had expired inside. Sonic let out a sigh of relief when he finally found the burn ointment. It had been a long time since he had used this burn ointment. It happened to be one in particular that he was not very fond of because of the horrendous smell it gave once it was applied to the skin, but when Amy rubbed it all over his body he could not help but forget about the smell and surrender to her touch. Not once could Sonic imagine Amy's touch being that powerful and satisfying. If it was under any other circumstance Amy would have allowed him to touch every nook and cranny of her delicate body without a second thought, but it was different this time. She could no longer chase after him or even give him subtle hints, whether sexual or not, that she wanted him.

There was no way for Sonic to describe how her touch made him feel back then, nor could he explain it now. Even thinking about it now would not be the wisest of ideas considering he had a girlfriend, especially one that he was deeply in love with. There were once times long ago when Sonic wanted to moan, but he just could not muster the courage to do it in front of her. It was not because he was afraid of her reaction, but that of his very own. Back then, it was as if some unknown inner force was willing him to take care of her as well as protect her. Now it was different, very different. Everything that Sonic did for Amy came so naturally and freely to him unlike the many times before where he felt forced to do things such as this for her.

Amy knew by now that Sonic had some kind of idea about how to take care of himself as well as the others, even if she was not around anymore to help. Aeris most likely had given a few medical pointers and he in return gave her his heart…something she was fooled into thinking she had. Even if his heart was in the right place she would rather have had someone else take care of her…and touch her. For Sonic to even touch her now felt as if he was over stepping whatever boundaries were left of their friendship, and from her perspective it felt like it would soon be over. It was not something she wanted to happen, but Amy knew about fate as well as destiny and hers was one where she would lose Sonic forever. Even if she did not want it to happen, Amy knew very well that certain things were already set in stone long before anyone's birth. That is just how the entire grand design was, like life it too could be a total bitch.

It was not something she could confirm without the use of her tarot cards or any other playing cards to be exact. Every one of her decks had some how mysteriously vanished a few months ago from her apartment. It really did not bother her at first that they were missing, but now she sure wish she had them. Perhaps she placed them in a box somewhere when she was cleaning for the New Year; it was the only possible answer that she could think of at the moment. The only thing Amy could do now was trust her instincts and her faith in Sonic as she watched him take care of her as she slowly yearned for this entire situation to be nothing more than a bad dream.


	4. Commitment

Disclaimer: All of the Sonicverse characters and places inserted into this story are owned by SEGA, and used without permission. All other characters and places mentioned belong to me.

Chapter 4: Commitment

It had been almost four long hours since Sonic left Amy's apartment. In the past he would never feel any kind of regret about leaving her behind, but things had changed over time. In Sonic's younger days, it was not uncommon for him to run away from the pink hedgehog. Amy was a the annoying thorn in his side that would never stop bothering him no matter how hard he tried to get away from her. Back then it was always a pain in the ass to constantly save her from danger, it just seemed that she purposely did it for attention. But who could ever ignore her, she was always in his face.

No matter where he went she was there right behind him, and that really irked him…a lot. There was never a time back then where he could have at least a minute to himself without her nonstop question about a going on a date or even getting married. Dating was one thing, but asking him to marry her at that age was just plain ludicrous. There were so many times back then when he would yell at her for following him around. He never did like yelling at anyone, including Amy. But image and safety was always a big issue for Sonic, and he knew that Amy would be nothing more than extra baggage on missions. She knew that his life was in constant danger, but somehow that thought never once fazed her. She was sure one stubborn hedgehog, even more stubborn than he was. But she becoming way too dependent on him saving her from the dangerous situations she placed herself in. Sonic knew that life was unpredictable, something that he stated time and again to her whenever she showed him the fate card from her tarot deck.

Amy wanted to be with him no matter the price, but it was always hard to prove that she could help like the others could. Sonic knew this fact all to well, but there was something inside of him that just would not allow it. In many ways it was almost hypocritical. Tails was younger than Amy, and had always accompanied him on adventures as far back as anyone could remember. Though Cream was younger than Tails, she always knew when to stay out of harms way, but she was always well protected by he ever faithful chao, Cheese. Then there was Aeris. She was a few years older than both Sonic and Amy. She was twenty-six years old to be exact and a third year resident at the hospital. Normally differences in age would be a legal problem in some parts of the world, but in Station Square the age of consent for males was entirely different. For anyone at Sonic's age could be legally declared as an adult and still be entitled to all the perks of being an adult. Females on the other hand would have to wait until their nineteenth birthday to be given that titled. Aeris was in no way capable of defending herself like Amy was, but she still provided on site medical care. It was truly a double standard.

Sonic's relationship with Amy and Aeris was truly a double standard. There was never a moment that Sonic did not think about Aeris while with Amy and vice versa. Sometimes he wished that he could have them both as his lovers, but he knew that it would not be fair to either one of them. Perhaps it would be easier to choose if one of them dies. As morbid as it sounds it just seemed as the only way for Sonic to truly decide. As if God was making the choice for him. He definitely knew that Lucifer or any daemon would never deal in any matters of the heart unless a deal was to be made. Sonic was not the type of person to place his own or anyone else's soul on the line for something as trivial as that. But there would always be that feeling of wondering what life would have been like with the other.

There was a small part of Sonic that felt that he should have stayed with Amy, but he had already made so many promises to his friends that he just could not break. Sonic had a reputation of keeping his promises to his friends and being there for complete strangers. He always seemed to martyr himself for anyone who needed him, no matter the size of the problem. If only there were more of him, because as of now he felt like he was being pulled into too many directions at once. This was making the blue hedgehog coming close to a state of exhaustion, and he was not at his best in that condition. He knew exhaustion was not healthy for anyone, especially him. But his friends needed him, especially Amy. Seeing her like that always made Sonic's heart ache. If only he could go beyond the confines of a mortal hero and transcend into something better.

Sonic was not God and nor did he want to be one, but if he was then he would use his powers to move the heavens and the earth just to make her better with only a thought. There would be so much he could do with powers like that. He could stop hunger and wipe out all disease, and wars would be nothing more than a forgotten memory. His world would be truly an Eden of wonder, a true Neo Golden Age and his friends would be a fixture within his perfect menagerie. They would be always loved and protected, never left behind and forgotten. In the past he had done that to get away and relax, but every time someone would need him back home. Most of the time it was always Amy who needed him even though his mind kept on telling him to back off and forget about her. But there was always a stronger force that stemmed from his heart and his soul that gave him drive to return back to her. As if they were some how bonded to the other.

It really didn't bother Sonic much when he left her behind long ago, but now he felt ashamed whenever he left her alone in her current condition. It always made him feel helpless. He hated feeling helpless, but there was nothing else he could do for her, and besides she was getting the best medical care possible from his girlfriend. But something in his bones kept on telling him that there was something wrong, but in his line of work there was always something wrong. There were even times when Sonic wished he had some kind of medical background, other than the basics. He wanted to help take care of Amy, so that he could see her smile warmly at him as he properly examined her.

This made Sonic smirk a bit. Amy had always been the only person craziest enough to take care of him when he was sick or even injured. It was nothing more than a miracle that she could tolerate his constant whining and whimpering about how he rather be someplace else than in her care. Back then he had secretly wished that Amy would stop fussing over him. It always made him feel like a helpless child, but she was the only person in the world who could put up with him when he was in that condition. Most of their friends had already considered her a saint by just putting up with the irritating blue wonder. Sonic would have definitely been gutted by now by most people for acting like such a child. Amy was different, and there was something about her he just could not explain. Everyone knew she loved him that is everyone except Sonic. He was so clueless when it came to love, even if it was staring him in the face. Sure he loved getting attention but he was just not used to getting it from one person, even if she was a girl.

What would have been a blur in the blue speed demon's mind, lingered on for hours as he zigged and zagged throughout the never ending city of Station Square. Everything in Sonic's life was changing that even he could not keep up with it. Just a year ago, he would never consider about having a girlfriend let alone go out on date, even if it was with Amy. That just was not his style back then. Though he had friends, he just could not see putting the one he cherished the most placed in harms way. It was one of the reasons why he turned Amy down so many times, but at the time the only feelings of love he knew he had for her were just platonic. Now he was not sure about his feelings for her. Was it because of the time they spent together before the holiday season or was it because he was a sucker for the damsel in distress?

Sonic hanged his head low as his ears went flat against his head. Sure he loved Amy, but it was not in the same way he loved Aeris. There were even times in which Sonic thought about not seeing Amy for while she was ill, but she needed him. He was her hero and friend after all. What kind of creature would he be if he feed her to the wolves? Even now a part of him kind of felt bad about the way he treated her during the fall and winter months.

Everyone believed that he was leading Amy on by not telling her the about Aeris, and that what he was doing was nothing more than cruel. But how on earth was he going to tell Amy that he was finally ready to date, and that it was not going to be her. Sonic wanted to be honest with her from the very start of his relationship with Aeris, but he was clueless in these matters that he decided to follow Aeris' advice the moment he mentioned his connection to Amy. Not once did he think Aeris' advice was at all cruel or if there could be any repercussions from taking it. Sonic assumed that since she was older and more experienced that she knew best what was best for the younger hedgehogs.

The bonds of trust and friendship meant everything to the teenaged blue hedgehog. It was hard for Sonic to imagine a world in which his friends did no longer existed, but eventually the time that would soon happen. Sonic would not be who he was without them, and in his heart he thanked them for giving him the strength to go on. They were the courage and motivation he needed to do anything, no matter how simple or challenging the problem was. He was also proud to have a new friend in Aeris. It was not every day that a person like her came around. As far as Sonic knew, Aeris was a sweet and kind person. In Sonic's eyes she was quite beautiful, and her voice was so soothing that he thought she was an angel sent from above to be with him. There were even times where he would fall asleep in her lap as she sang softly to him, while stroking his long blue quills as they sat in the shade of the old oak tree behind her town house. But why did it feel so wrong? To his knowledge, Sonic was not betraying anyone and Amy seemed to be okay with the situation. At least he thought she was okay with the situation. It was not like Amy to keep things bottled up inside no matter how bad it bothered her. If only Sonic knew what was bothering him, then by chance he could make it go away.

It was not uncommon for Sonic to feel some kind of regret, but it was rare, after all he was mortal. Sonic was not perfect. But in everyone's eyes, including Amy and Tails, he was without any flaws other than his weakness of water as well as bring impatient. But it was more like him to live in the moment, and forget about what bad things happened in the past.

Amy was the complete opposite to Sonic's philosophy. As far back as he could remember, Amy has always been an emotional person. She was always quick to cry, but lived through her emotion making her the perfect friend. She was so very different from the secretive and seductive Rouge and she was even more different from the shy and naive Cream. Even though Amy could be as seductive and naïve as the others were, she still had a good head on her shoulders. But there were times in the past where she lost her head whenever she would chase him around the planet for a date or marriage.

It had been a long time since Amy had asked him for a date, and it seemed even longer since the last time she asked him to marry her. For some strange reason, Sonic missed that old cat and mouse routine that he and Amy had. It sort of defined who they were in the eyes of the global population. It just seemed that without her and her quirks, he would be an entirely different Sonic. Perhaps even something darker, something similar to what Shadow had become after losing Maria.

Sonic reduced his speed before stopping completely in front one Station Square's oldest cathedral. Normally things of religious significance were of no concern to the blue speed demon, but this particular holy ground was important to him and to Amy. It was no more than two years ago that they both noticed the cathedral during one of their many chases. It was normal back then for him to increase his speed to get away from her, but before he could he noticed that she had stopped. It was not because she was out of breath or tired, but some how the building had caught her attention. This made Sonic curious enough to walk and stand next to her gazing upon the relic. Normally Amy was a one track, unless something caught her eye, whether it was him or shopping. But this was a new one for her, especially since it was not him or something she could buy.

Though it was old, this cathedral was quite different from any other that the two had seen. Its design was quite different from a traditional cathedral. It had more statues of angels and gargoyles that were hanging from the terraces, a strong indication that this congregation was bent on preventing evil from entering their sacred ground. But what caught Amy's eyes were the stained glass windows. Unlike normal stained glass windows one might find in any church or cathedral, these did not have religious icons on them. Instead they were filled with images of love and romance. Images of roses, butterflies, and fairies littered the unusual stained glass that even Sonic himself was taken aback by its beauty. He remembered how Amy sighed that day, as if she was living their wedding day in her mind. Sonic also remembered how he rolled his eyes that day when she mentioned how nice it would be to get married in a place like this. The cathedral was certainly indeed a place of good luck for lovers and those walking down the aisle. But Sonic was young and brash back then. Romance, love, and marriage had no impact on him back then, but now it did. Even though he did not care about those things back then, he still made a promise to Amy that day. He promised her that no matter what, the two of them would always be together and that their bond could never be broken by anyone or anything. But time has a way of changing these things, even breaking the memories and promises that mean everything in someone's life. Though it did not seem like it to Sonic, it was happening to him. And for the first time in all his days alive on this planet, he was losing a battle unknown to him.

Sonic's ears perked up as he heard the wind blowing through the cathedral's gothic stone rain gutters. The sound had startled him for a moment, but he soon relaxed himself as focused on the hand carved wooden door of the church. For a brief second the male hedgehog could have sworn he heard voices softly talking around him. These were voices from the past. It was not any voice, but that of his and Amy's from two years ago. He knew it was theirs, but as to what they saying he did not know. To him, it was nothing more than a gentle whisper of things said a long time ago. But for some strange reason Sonic felt that something terrible was going to happen.

The whispers felt as if they trying to warn him, but not a single one of his friends were in any danger, and Amy looked as if she was getting better from what he could he could see with his own emerald green eyes. But Sonic knew Amy or at least he thought he did. Amy had never kept any secrets from him before, even if it was personal. The idea of her keeping secrets and lying to him was something that the blue bomber could not even imagine her doing. It was so out of character for her to lie to either him or their friends. Just like how it was out of character for him to be dating. If only things could go back to the way they used to be, then perhaps everything would be better. But Sonic was in no way willing to give up Aeris just to go back to the way things were. Not only would he lose Aeris, but he would have to endure Amy constantly chasing him and her deadly vice grip hugs. And frankly, Sonic was not quite sure if he wanted to go through that again, but if it meant that Amy would be well again then he would gladly make the trade just to see her out in the sunlight again. He was her hero after all.


End file.
